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LOGANSPORT - Sometimes, Warsaw Community High School coach Scott Bauer said, the underdog has his moment in the sun.
For Logansport goalkeeper Armando Cervantes, that time was Saturday against the Tigers in the championship game of the Logansport Regional, where the host Berries beat Warsaw 1-0.
The teams played through 80 minutes of scoreless regulation action and two scoreless seven-minute overtime sessions before Cervantes shined as Logansport converted three of five penalty kicks while Warsaw made two.
"Logansport took wonderful penalty kicks," said Bauer. "They took brilliant penalty kicks. Sometimes the underdog has his moment in the sun. This was his (Cervantes) day in the sun. This was his day. He's probably worked hard all his life. Maybe people have told him he's not tall enough. He came through for his team."
Entering Saturday's title tilt, at least on paper, Warsaw could have been viewed as the overwhelming favorite.
The Tigers opened regional play Wednesday with a 12-1 win over Maconaquah and entered Saturday's champioship game with a 16-1-2 record.
The host Berries were winless in their first eight games of the season took just a 10-9-1 record into Saturday's regional final.
And when the regional final came down to penalty kicks, at first glance, it may have appeared that Warsaw had an advantage with junior goalkeeper Justin Evans.
Evans, 6-foot tall, slender and long-armed, looked like the odds-on favorite to outdual Cervantes and his stocky 5-6 frame.
It didn't happen that way, and the Berries ended Warsaw's season.
"I told the guys Logansport was much improved from when we played them in the preseason scrimmage," said Bauer. "I'm proud of the kids. They did play a full 80 minutes. They were inspired and determined."
Inspired and determined, that's what Cervantes was, as the Tigers were turned away on 22 shots during the 80 minutes of regulation and 14 minutes of overtime.
And then he was clutch as the Tigers took their penalty kicks.
Warsaw senior Adam Kitchens took the first penalty kick and scored, while Logansport senior Victor Stepanov hit the left post, leaving the Tigers with the advantage.
Cervantes then stopped Warsaw's second penalty kick, a shot from junior Michael Reinholt, while senior Jacob Bryan evened things up when put the ball past Evans.
Freshman Matt Franco converted the Tigers' next attempt, as did junior Cameron Foster for the Berries.
On Warsaw's fourth penalty kick attempt, senior Jordan Sharp's shot went wide left while Logansport took a 3-2 advantage when sophomore Edgar Casillas converted.
With Warsaw forced to convert its final attempt, Cervantes turned away a shot by Tiger sophomore Jessie Sharp.
And then the silence that was during the dramatic penalty kicks turned into a loud victory celebration for the Berries, who won their third regional championship in four years.
On the other side of the field, Warsaw players sat in disbelief on the cold ground.
"It's a disappointing loss for the kids," said Bauer. "Any time you get to a regional final, it's not going to be easy. There were two teams one game away from a semistate. That can sometimes equalize teams. I didn't expect the regional to be easy."
The Tigers had 22 shots on goal to Logansport's 16.
The Berries will play Saturday in the Fort Wayne Snider Semistate.
